Not All Mercs are Bad
by Catie Kerwood
Summary: Riddick's past meets his present story. An old friend of Riddick's comes back and turns his existance upside down and backwards. Surprise ending! I went in a different direction with this! Has eleven chps with opening for sequel.
1. I

This story is going to be in third person omniscient. In the first chapters you'll see [VO Name] that means that there is going to be a voice over of Riddick, the OFC, or the OMC. You find out their names while you read. Well...yeah, go ahead and read, if you want, it's completely up to you. Oh! One more thing. This has little to do with The Chronicles of Riddick; this Riddick is my own Riddick. He's in the universe that I mapped out in my head. Control is such a lovely thing when there's so little of it in real life.

Not All Mercs Are Bad

_[VO Riddick] When I was 15 I knew this girl, pretty thing too. Anna was her name. What I can remember of color I remember of her. Her long hair was blood red, her eyes impossibly blue. She liked to have her hair French braided. I went out of my way to learn how just so I could do it. She was my age, and even though my foster brother and sisters, and kids at our school avoided me like the plague, she talked to me, stayed around me. She liked chocolate milk, it's an odd thing for me to remember, but I do. So now every time I make my self some I always silently toast it to her. I got sent away to slam for killing our foster brother when we were 16, I've never seen her since. I don't know whether she's alive or dead. But what I do know, is that I can't seem to forget Anna._

Anna lay on her bed, her boyfriend lying next to her. Her hair, no longer long, but cut boyishly short. She was a mercenary now, one of the best.

"Why did you take the assignment Anna?" Her boyfriend asked her.

"I had to Jacobs." Anna said, she always called him by his last name.

"He's killed the most mercenaries than any other convict. Do you really think just because he knew you means that he won't make you another one of his victims?"

"He probably doesn't even remember me, it was twenty years ago after all."

"Did you and he ever...?"

"Don't do it to yourself Jacobs."

_[VO Anna] Why did I take the job? Why after all this time I still want to find him? And what happens if I do find him? Will he remember me or is Jacobs right? Will he kill me regardless? Either way, I'm ass deep and rising._


	2. II

Short first chapter just to introduce Anna and Jacobs, this one isn't that much longer, I'll write longer chaps as the story goes on, if I feel like it. I have the first...oh say eleven chapters written by the way.

Chapter Two

Anna piloted her ship into the port of the planet of the last seen location of Riddick. She powered down and got unstrapped getting up from the pilots' chair. She sent a message to Merc HQ saying she arrived on the planet and would begin the search immediately. She left and scanned the port, she didn't expect to see him. Riddick sightings topped Elvis sightings. Some people don't know how to let go, even if Elvis hadn't died when they said he did he would be long dead now. But for Riddick, a lead is a lead even if there is a very good chance it's a dead end.

Anna walked through the streets, her guns out in plain sight. A cop tried to stop her but then he saw the four X's tattooed on the inside of her right forearm saying that she was a merc. He nodded at her and let her pass. She scanned every street in the city, stopped at every hotel, motel and apartment building showing them a recent picture of Riddick and they hadn't seen him. But she struck gold, or should I say silver, at the last one, an apartment building.

"I have a tenant that looks identical to Riddick, only he has green eyes, not silver shined ones." The aging woman said.

"Well is he here? I would like to question him."

"I don't know. He doesn't talk to anyone; I get this dangerous predatory vibe from him. He frightens me." She said and Anna nodded.

"Can I go up to his apartment?"

"Of course, let me go grab his spare key." The woman said and grabbed one from behind her. She handed it to her and she looked at the number on it, 4B.

"Thank you very much for your cooperation." She said and the woman nodded.

"Of course Officer, anything I can do to help." Its best if civilians think she's a cop, makes everything so much easier. She climbed up the left-hand stairs to the fourth landing and slipped the key into her pocket, she had no intention of using it. She drew her gun and backed up, she kicked the door open with the heel of her heavy combat boot and stepped into the apartment scanning it with the gun. She tried the lights and found them dead. It would make things easier for someone with a shine job to live here. Pictures and articles on the Hunter Gratzner crash covered one wall. She spotted a contact case containing green contacts on a small table. She walked into the bedroom and found things neat and orderly, a closet full of black clothes and an assortment of boots and sheathes. She put away her gun he obviously wasn't here. Something hard and heavy hit the side her head and she felt herself falling to the floor, the last thing she saw before darkness took her was silver eyes twinkling down at her.


	3. III

Chapter Three

"Wake up Merc." Anna heard and she woke up slowly raising her head off of her chest, groaning slightly at the throbbing spot on the side of her head. She opened her eyes and found herself staring into the black goggles of Richard B. Riddick. "You never should've put your gun away Merc." He said and backed away.

"Riddick." she whispered.

"That's my name. You found me, good job. But you dropped your guard, bad job. What's your name?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Might as well get to know you, you ain't going any where for a long time." he said and she finally noticed that she was chained to a wall, she had been too wrapped up in the convict in front of her to notice before. She pulled at them and heard Riddick chuckle. "Its useless Merc, absolutely in vain." He tilted her head to the side examining it. "I hit you pretty hard, but you didn't even bleed. Good for you."

"Bite me." She snarled and he grinned.

"Don't tempt me." He said, definitely not the Riddick she knew when she was a teen. "A woman merc, gotta tell you it's new. You never did tell me your name."

"They call me Collector."

"They?"

"Other mercs and the convicts I captured."

"Who hired you, Collector?" he asked and she stayed silent so he hit her with an open hand. He didn't use his full strength; he wanted her awake and aware. "Who hired you?" she spit blood out of her mouth, she could feel it trickling out of a corner. He hit her again but still received no answer.

"You hit women now. Well isn't that just peachy." Anna said with a small sarcastic smile and he chuckled hitting her again.

"You're a merc, it doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman." Riddick said and she spit out more blood. "Now who hired you?"

"Pick a slam, any slam." She said and put her head on her chest again, she watched as some blood droplets fell onto her shirt and she was glad she decided to wear a black one.

"Don't pass out on me now Merc." Riddick said grasping her chin in his large hand, forcing her head back up.

"I'm not." She said and looked at her reflection in his goggles, he was taking up her entire field of vision. "We're not in your apartment are we?"

"Nope." He said and stepped back so she could look around, she recognized the holding pen of her ship.

"Fuck." She said and he chuckled.

"Well put, some ship you got here Collector."

"Bite me." She said and he chuckled again, but said nothing this time. "So what did you tell the land lady when you brought me down the stairs unconscious?"

"That you passed out. She said something like 'kids these days, don't know how to eat properly'." Riddick said and laughed.

"Amusing."

"I thought so." He said and stepped towards her taking up her vision again. She licked her dry lips and spit out some more blood. She leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes. "Aren't you scared that I'm going to kill you?"

"If you were going to you would've already, in your apartment."

"What if I just to like play with my prey before killing it?"

"Like I said, if you were going to kill me you would've already." Anna said and opened her eyes a crack seeing him nod. "There was a time when I felt safe around you."

"What?" he asked and she closed her eyes again.

"I felt so safe around you, like you could protect me from anything and anyone." She said leaning her head back, baring her throat to him. She was so tired; the adrenaline of being hit was wearing off. "Even if we were only fifteen." She said and her head rolled forward, moving a little back and forth on her chest as she fell into a deep sleep.

"Anna!" Riddick said frantically shaking her shoulders but she wouldn't wake. He quickly undid her wrists and she fell into his arms. He carried her up to her room and laid her down on the bed. He got a wet wash cloth and wiped away the blood at the corner of her mouth, the cut on her cheek. Why the hell did he have to hit her so hard? He lay on the bed next to her and watched her as she slept.

_[VO Riddick] I found her, or I should say she found me. She's a Merc now, big shocker, must have become one to survive or to find me, I'll ask her when she wakes up. I can't believe I hit her, so fucking stupid. Her hair is different, much shorter, but its like I can still see the color of it and her eyes, now that I know its her. She looks different, grown up, less like a teenage girl and more like a woman. I imagined our meeting again to be different, maybe me seeing her somewhere then running up to her and picking her up in a hug while she laughed and hugged me back. But no, I knocked her out, chained her a wall then beat her. So fucking stupid. But none the less, I'm glad that she found me, even if she is a mercenary._


	4. IV

Chapter Four

"Anna, bagel. Bagel with cream cheese, yeah I remembered that you like the cream and the cheese and the cheesy cream." She heard Riddick say and she smiled in spite of herself. She opened her eyes to see Riddick waving a bagel under her nose, she took it and pulled it apart licking the cream cheese off her thumb.

"Thanks." She said and sat up ripping a piece off of it and putting it in her mouth, savoring the taste of the cream cheese. "So what's with this? The last time I was awake you were hitting me, now you're giving me a bagel?" she gained some satisfaction when he winced at the mention of the beating he gave her.

"I feel bad about it, if I had known it was you I wouldn't have hit you."

"Apology accepted." She said and chewed another piece of bagel. "What no coffee?"

"Don't push it." He said pointing a finger at her and she smiled while chewing. "You're a mercenary Anna."

"And you're a mass murderer."

"Why?"

"Because you killed people."

"No, why did you become a merc?"

"To find you, and to survive."

"Why to find me?"

"You were the best and greatest friend I ever had. After you left, my life seemed cold and empty, so I became a merc to try to fill that void. I thought that the chase might help me feel, and it did for a little while anyways. I even got myself a boyfriend, but it didn't help." Anna said and finished her bagel in silence.

"What's his name?"

"Whose?"

"The boyfriends."

"Evan Jacobs, but I just call him Jacobs." She said and he snorted.

"Keeping it military?" he asked and she smiled at him.

"Something like that. So what happens now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Was that my last meal? Are you going to kill me?" she asked drawing her knees to her chest.

"Why would you ask that?"

"You gained a reputation of being a merc killer Riddick. And I'm a merc."

"Anna, I could never kill you." Riddick said sitting on the bed. She put her forehead on his shoulder and he hesitated before putting an arm around hers. They sat there in the silence until he tilted up her chin and looked at her. The cut on her cheek was red and angry looking and her eyes were slightly dead, he ran his fingers through her now shorn hair and a flicker of life appeared in her eyes. Riddick ran his hand to the back of her head, to her neck and he ran a finger down her spine making her shudder. He felt her put her arms around his waist and he hugged her, pressing her into his chest.

"I missed you so much Richard." Anna said into his neck and he ran his hand up and down her back.

"I missed you too Anna." He said stopping his hand on her waist, her shirt had hitched up a little and when his fingers brushed against the bare skin of her hip it felt as if an electric bolt had run through him, fusing his fingers to her skin. He ran them back and forth and she shivered against him, goosebumps rising along her skin.

"Richard why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Kill Derek." She said indicating to the foster brother that Riddick killed twenty years ago.

"He was going to bring a gun to school and open fire, I couldn't talk him out of it, and to me the only logical course of action was to kill him before he killed many others, maybe even you." Riddick said and she looked at him, unexpressed emotion clouding her eyes. "I cared a lot about you Anna. Just the thought of you dying, I had never felt such fear in my entire life."

"Richard..." she said and put her face back into his neck. He ran his hand through her shorn hair over and over again while he held her. "I hated you so much for killing him, for leaving me. I wasn't even allowed to see you in prison. And by the time I was old enough, you had escaped from that prison and were somewhere. I thought that I would never see you again for as long as I lived. Every once in a while I would see a news report about you on the T.V and my heart would just skip a beat, I don't even think I breathed. But you're here, and you're real, just please don't leave me again, I barely survived the first time."

"I'm not going anywhere, not now that I found you, even though technically you found me."

"You know what? This is it; I'm through being a merc I'll get these blasted tattoos removed as soon as possible. I'm through being Collector, her life sucked anyways."

"What about Jacobs? He won't understand why one of the best mercenaries in the business decided to stick around the most wanted man in the universe." Riddick said and she looked him.

"How do you know I'm one of the best?" Anna asked and he shrugged smiling slightly.

"I hear things, that and the fact that I did some research on you, Anna VanBuskirk." Riddick said and she smiled slightly at him. He could see fatigue in her eyes so he laid her down gently. "Go back to sleep Anna, I'll be here when you wake up." she nodded yawning widely and her eyes fluttered closed. He lay next to her and she took his hand in her own. Just like when they were kids, and up until Riddick 'went away' when they were 16, they held hands, their finger laced together. They fell asleep like that, comforted in each other's presence.


	5. V

Chapter Five

Anna was asleep, Riddick next to her who was also asleep. A flush crept up her neck and cheeks as the image in her mind intensified. It wasn't a dream it was a memory. Of the night when she was fifteen, and she and fifteen-year-old Riddick...devirginized each other. To put it mildly. But the image changed, as they both became older, as old as they are now.

She woke up gasping in her bed and took her hand from Riddick's leaving the room and going to the training area to work off some...stress.

Riddick had woken up when she had gotten off the bed, he tried to ask her what was wrong but by the time his half-awake mind had formed the words she was gone. He got off the bed and stretched before following her, he followed her footsteps to the training area and watched as she worked off some apparent frustration by beating the stuffing out of the canvas punching bag. She punched it and kicked it, grunting slightly with contact. She winced as sweat got into the cut on her cheek but continued to beat the bag, after a while she stopped and he walked towards her. She looked at him, then back down. He took her shaking hands in his own, running his thumb along the scraped and bruised knuckles. She pulled her hands away and he looked at her.

"They hurt." She said and he took her hands again, raising them. He blew a cool breath across the knuckles with his eyes closed. "Richard, do you remember when we were fifteen and we..." he nodded blowing another breath across her knuckles, his eyes still closed.

"When we introduced each other to adulthood."

"That's one way of saying it." Anna said. "Did you ever think that there could've been something between us than just that?"

"Everyday afterwards. Why? Did you?"

"Yes, I was just thinking that if there was, then maybe you would've come to me after you found out what Derek was going to do and we could've come up with a different solution." She said and he laid a gentle kiss on her knuckles allowing her hands to slip from his.

"Woulda shoulda coulda." Riddick said looking at her and she shrugged.

"Well unless you have a time machine in your pocket, there's nothing either of us can do about it now." Anna said and he drew her into a hug, he couldn't seem to get enough of holding her now that they were together again. She froze but relaxed and hugged him back. He pulled away slightly and looked at her, he ran his fingers through her really short hair.

"Why did you cut your hair? It looked beautiful long." He asked.

"It flew all over the place in free-falls, and after a while that got annoying." She said and he nodded.

"Good enough for me. So what's the plan of action today?" he asked taking his arms from around her.

"What do you mean?"

"Well I know that mercs have to check in every once in while just to let HQ know that they're still alive, especially when they're after me." Riddick said and she shrugged.

"I guess I could contact them."

"And tell them what, exactly?" he asked going on the offensive.

"That I'm still alive..."

"And when they ask you if you found me yet, you'll tell them...?"

"That I haven't." Anna said and he smirked ruffling her hair.

"Good girl." He said and she knocked his hand away with a scowl.

"I didn't like when you did that when we were kids, and I still don't." she said poking him in the chest with her finger. In a move too quick for her to see, he grabbed her wrist and swung her around so her back was against his chest and his arms were pinning hers.

"What exactly were you thinking when you did that? You never touch someone in an argument, even if it's just the start of one, unless you want it to get physical." Riddick growled in her ear and she squirmed against him.

"I forgot your history for a second, give me some slack Richard."

"I don't give anyone slack Anna, you've known that since we met all those years ago." He said, taking advantage of their situation he smelled her neck and hair, she smelled different, more like a woman.

_It's been a while, since I've seen the way the candles light your face. And it's been a while, but I can still remember just the way you taste. _A line from a Staind song popped into his head suddenly almost making him draw back. He moved his head to the other side of her face and smelled her neck and hair again. His lips brushed against her neck and he heard her gasp, all tension leaving her muscles letting her almost melt into his arms. She laid the back of her head on his shoulder and he looked at her. He loosened his arms so he was only holding her instead of restraining her. They locked eyes and were moving towards each other for a kiss when alarms went off. He took his arms from around her and she ran for the cockpit. Riddick sat down on a crate with his head in his hands. For so long he's thought of her as a sister, now bit by bit those thoughts are being eaten away by her presence, her scent, they way she feels in his arms. He waited for her to come back but she didn't, so he went up to the cockpit to find her strapped in the pilots chair harness, it was the only chair, a concentrated scowl on her face.

"What's up?" he asked and she looked at him then back at the controls.

"It was just some space junk that got too close to the hull, set off the sensors. I contacted HQ, so that's over with." Anna said and he nodded. He leaned against the back of her chair and watched as she ran a diagnostics scan. "I'm not comfortable with you looking over my shoulder Richard." She said simply and he walked away, going into the bathroom and taking a shower.

When he was gone she hung in the harness and sighed.

_Not good, not good at all._ She thought and looked at the controls when the diagnostics scan was complete, everything was A-OK, the engines were running at 200% power, the hull was sound and life support was good, everything was absolutely fine. Snorting humorlessly she wished she could run a diagnostics scan on her own mind, just so she could see what was damaged and fix it. It would make her life so much easier. _But life ain't that fair, life's bitch and then you die._

Anna heard the shower shut off and checked the hot water heater to see if he left her any, he left her plenty so she got up setting the controls on automatic and went into the bathroom, hearing him in what was now their bedroom. She took a shower and scrubbed her body with her sea salt exfoliating stuff, she just kept grabbing some until her whole body was covered in a layer of salt, except her face of course. She rinsed and scrubbed her hair with her herbal shampoo. Made with all natural ingredients grown in the rainforests of New Earth! Or at least that's what the label said. She rinsed her hair, shaved her legs and pits and turned off the shower getting out and wrapping herself in a towel. She couldn't get dressed back in her clothes, they were all sweaty. So she tossed them down the laundry chute that fed right into the washer and checked it on the small view screen. It was full so she sealed off the chute on that end and started the washer by touching a button on the screen, when it was done it would automatically blow the clothes into the dryer using a vacuum type thing and that would start all by itself. The dry clothes then went into an automatic folder which folded and rolled all the clothes and sent them up to her room in a series of powerful vacuum chutes all ready to be put away.

(A/N: sigh if only that was real.)

Still wrapped in the towel, she went into her room to see Riddick in just black sweatpants looking at her books. She blushed seeing his bare chest, a lot different from what she remembered it looking; it's way more muscular now.

"Have a nice shower?" he asked taking a book down and reading the back cover.

"Yes actually, um...I need to get dressed." She said and he looked at her, she could swear that there was a mischievous glint in his eyes, but she couldn't be sure with the shine.

"I don't mind." He said grinning.

"I do." she said and walked over to her dresser, grabbing a flight jumpsuit out of a drawer and a pair of panties. She could feel him looking at her. "If you're not going to leave, could you at least turn around?" she asked and looked over her shoulder to see him turning his back on her. The towel dropped and she quickly slipped into the panties and jumpsuit zipping it up, the plush lining warming her in the cold of the ship, she had been told that she'd get used to it but she never did. "You can turn around." he did and she turned to face him towel drying her hair. She finally noticed that goosebumps had raised along his skin because of the cold. "Why don't you have a shirt on? It's cold in here." Anna asked and he shrugged, she watched, as hard muscle moved under his caramel colored skin. He went over to a duffel bag by the bed and pulled out a dark gray sweater slipping it on, the neck was stretched out and it hung off of one shoulder.

"I brought my things when I carried you here yesterday." Riddick said when she looked at him in question.

"Why?" Anna asked.

"Before I knew that you were you, my plan was to find out who hired you, kill you then take your ship, digging out the locator first and jettison that and your body out the air lock. But that plan kinda died when I realized who you were." he said and she perked an eyebrow.

"Appreciate it." She said and he smiled, suddenly looking like the 15-year-old boy she once knew, damn she had missed him. Going over to him she wrapped her arms around his slim waist and hugged him tightly. "I know I told you this before, but I missed you Richard." She said and he hugged her back, lying a gently kiss on the side of her head.

"I missed you too Anna." He said and they pulled away after a little while.

"I'm hungry." Anna said and he snorted.

"You always were abrupt. And I could use some food too." Riddick said and they went down to the kitchen area to get something to eat.


	6. VI

Chapter Six

That night Anna and Riddick got ready for bed and she got changed into her pajamas while he was in the bathroom. They climbed into bed and lay with their backs to each other.

"Sweet dreams Anna." She heard him say.

"Sweet dreams Richard." She said and she fell asleep almost instantly.

When she woke she found herself facing him; their legs hooked together and faces an inch apart. She looked down at his bare chest and positioned a hand over it. Could she dare? She gently laid her hand on it and felt his heart beat into her palm. He stirred and she withdrew her hand quickly checking to see if he was awake, he wasn't, his eyelids fluttering as he experienced REM sleep.

_He was back on that planet. Leading the survivors to safety, only when he stopped and looked back he didn't see Jack, Imam and everyone else, all he saw was Anna, holding a liquor bottle torch and looking at him._

_"Richard?" she asked right before he saw arm spikes of one of the creatures come through her chest. He darted forward and grabbed her arms to try to save her, but she was pulled out of his grasp and dragged away into the night._

_"Anna!" he yelled out and kept yelling it out into the living night._

"Richard!" Anna yelled and he came awake with a start, she gathered him into her arms and held him while he shook.

"It was just a dream, it was just a dream." He chanted over and over again as she stroked his head and neck.

"I'm guessing it was about me, you kept yelling my name until I managed to wake you up." she said and for his own sanity he pulled away checking her upper chest and shoulders for holes, and found none. He allowed her to hold him again while he continued to shake, strong tremors running through his body every now and then. "Do you want to tell me about it?" she asked and he shook his head against her shoulder, wrapping his arms around her waist

"It was terrible." He said and she made shushing noises while she continued to run her hand down the back of his head and neck. "You died and I couldn't save you."

"I thought you didn't want to tell me about it."

"I changed my mind."

"Okay, go on."

"I was back on T2, and on that planet there were these creatures that came out every 22 years."

"I read the survivor reports and saw the drawings the girl Jack had done based on what 'the third survivor' had described to her." Anna said and he nodded.

"Like I said I was back on the planet, I thought I was leading the survivors of the crash to the skiff, but when I looked back all I saw was you holding a liquor bottle torch. You said my name right before you were speared in the chest by one of the creatures arm spikes from behind. I tried to save you but you were pulled out of my grasp. You died and I couldn't save you." Riddick said and she looked at him.

"Its okay, I'm okay, I'm not dead and you are far away from the planet." She said and he nodded. "I remember when we were little, and every time I would have a nightmare I would run into your room and you would comfort me even though you were just as young as I was, amazing how much the roles changed isn't it?"

"No kidding." He said and she smiled.

"You think you could go back to sleep?"

"For quite some time I venture." Riddick said yawning widely and lay back down. She held him until he was asleep and got up going into the bathroom to shower.

When Anna got back into her bedroom, he wasn't there. She went down to the kitchen, but he wasn't there either. She went up to the cockpit and did an internal bio scan, finding herself in the cockpit but Riddick wasn't even on the ship.

"What the fuck?" she asked herself. Thinking of something she did an external bio scan and found him outside the ship in an observation suit connected to the ship by a hose that fed the suit oxygen, he sitting on the hull. She opened the comm to the radio in the suit's helmet. "Richard?"

"Yes?" his voice came from the speaker.

"What are you doing?" she asked and there was dead air for a second.

"Looking at space, come out here's its beautiful." He said and she smiled slightly.

"I'll be there soon." She said.

"Okay." she shut down the comms and went to the observation air lock, putting on the second suit. She went out the air lock, sealing it behind her and sat on the hull next to Riddick.

"I was right wasn't I?" she heard his voice come through the radio. She looked out into space and watched a comet go past in the distance.

"Yes you were right." Anna said.

"She finally admits it." She could hear the grin in his voice.

"Oh shut up." she said and heard him laugh through the earphones. "How long have you been sitting out here?"

"Since you left the bed."

"I made sure that you were asleep when I got up."

"I woke up when I felt you leave."

"You felt me leave?"

"The weight on the bed shifted."

"Oh. Come on let's go inside." She said and there was dead air.

"Okay." Riddick said after a long while and they stood, going into the air lock and sealing it. They took off the suits and stored them in the decontamination locker to kill any space faring viruses and bacteria.

They got something to eat and were back up in the room, lying on the bed. She was typing on her laptop and he was reading. After a while his curiosity got the better of him, that and the rapid clicking of the keys was starting to get annoying.

"What are you writing?" Riddick asked and she looked at him.

"Every time I get an assignment I write a book about it as I go on in the mission, I don't use my real name or the convicts, so far the books are best sellers."

"Ah...so what's your name in these books?"

"Jessica Forbes." She said and he smirked.

"What's my name in this book?"

"Roget Owens, but everyone calls you Owens." She said smiling and he groaned.

"Roget Owens? You couldn't have thought of a better name for me?" he asked and she laughed.

"And miss the agonized look on your face? Absolutely not!" she said and he groaned again. "You enjoying that book?"

"Yes." he said and tilted it back up again so he could continue reading.

"You know it's a romance novel don't you?" she asked and he looked up.

"I do now." he said and closed it tossing it to the end of the bed. "No wonder the title was Hearts of Fire." He said with his head in his hands and she laughed again continuing to type. "Why oh why, do you have a romance novel?"

"Jacobs gave it to me, he said its what normal women read." She said.

"No offence, but Jacobs sounds like a real idiot."

"He's sweet though."

"And what does he do?"

"He goes to junk stores, buys stuff, fixes it up then sells it on Ebay."

"Ah...so he's a scavenger."

"Yup, makes a lot of money doing it too."

"Do you love him?" Riddick asked and Anna looked at him, shocked.

"Why would you ask something like that?"

"It's a reasonable question, do you love him?" he asked and she closed the screen on her laptop, pushing it off her lap.

"I don't know, I mean I care a lot about him, but he's too innocent."

"He's a civilian."

"To the max." Anna said and he nodded as if he understood.

"Then why are you still with him?"

"Because I care about him, and he loves me."

"But you don't love him." he made it a statement, not a question.

"Not really."

"What about me?" Riddick asked.

"What about you?" she asked pulling her laptop back on her lap.

"How do you feel about me?" he asked and she looked at him.


	7. VII

Chapter Seven

"Well? Come on Merc, tell me how you feel about me." Riddick teased and she looked back down at her keyboard.

"You're a friend." She said and saw him perk an eyebrow out of the corner if her eye.

"Just a friend? What about what happened in the cargo hold?"

"What about it?"

"If that piece of junk hadn't set off the sensors then we would've kissed."

"Left over feelings, nothing more nothing less." Anna said and he touched the back of her neck quickly.

"You're blushing."

"I thought you couldn't see color."

"I can't, but the back of your neck is really warm and I remember whenever you blushed back when we were teens the back of your neck became red."

"You're too damn observant." She said and he smirked.

"I know, I do it just to piss you off."

"I noticed." She said and she felt the blush dissipate. She looked at him and found him looking at her a certain way and the blush was back full force. "Don't do that!" she said pushing her laptop off her lap and getting off the bed, she left the room to sound of him cackling. Shaking her head and muttering obscenities in different languages, she sat down in the pilots' chair in the cockpit and looked out into space. After a while she heard him come up from behind her and lean against the chair with his elbow on the headrest. She looked up at him and saw that he had his goggles on, she looked back out and even though she couldn't see it she felt him looking at her. "Richard, I'm not comfortable with you lurking over my shoulder." He stayed there so she got up and he straightened, blocking her path. "Could you move please?" Riddick, instead of moving, put an arm around her waist and pulled her against him making a small surprised noise come out of her mouth. She put a hand to his hard chest. "Please don't..."

"Don't what? This?" he asked right before he kissed her, she pressed against his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck. When they broke apart they were both breathless.

"We shouldn't be doing this." she panted. "I have a boyfriend."

"I don't care." Riddick said kissed her again. His arms still around her waist, he lifted her off her feet and walked forward sitting down in the pilots' chair with her straddling his lap. He unzipped her flight jumpsuit and...

"Wake up Anna." She jerked out of her dream when she heard Riddick's voice above her, she looked up to see him, what else, leaning against the chair with his elbow on the headrest wearing his goggles. "If you were still tired you shoulda said something."

"No, I'm not tired." Anna said but her body and mind wasn't convinced by evidence of the large yawn she tried to stifle as soon as the last word was out of her mouth. He smirked.

"Yeah, right. Come on." He said and took her hand pulling her out of the chair. "You can't sleep here, your neck and back will kill you as soon as you wake up."

"The voice of experience?"

"Absolutely." Riddick said as he led her back to her room. He set her laptop on the floor gently, placing it just under the bed and laid her down. He covered her up with the blanket and she snuggled into them, closing her eyes. "Sleep well honey." He whispered and gently placed his lips to her forehead, but she was already under. He touched her face gently and ran his thumb along her bottom lip before he straightened.

_So beautiful._ He thought as he gazed down at her. Riddick lay behind her and stared at her hair for the longest time. She rolled over in her sleep to face him and he flicked a piece of hair off her forehead. A blush crept up her neck and cheeks and he wondered, with a small smile, what she was dreaming about.

"Richard..." she said and he perked an eyebrow. He leaned in close and dropped his voice as low it could go.

"Anna..." he whispered and she smiled.

"Oh god Richard." She said and her eyes snapped open, her eyes widened and she jumped back slightly seeing him so close to her. "What're you...I didn't talk in my sleep did I?"

"No." he said backing away a little.

_No need to embarrass the girl...erm...woman. Dear god she is a woman isn't she?_ He thought and got off the bed.

"How long was I asleep?" Anna asked sitting up on the edge of the bed with her back to him.

"About an hour or so." He said and she stood.

"I'm just gonna go and um..." she motioned to the door. "Take a shower." "Okay." Riddick said and she turned to leave. "Anna." She turned to look at him.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Uh...have a nice shower." Riddick said and she shrugged.

"There's a better chance than not that I will." she said and left, leaving the door open behind her. When she was gone he flopped down on the bed with his knees hanging off the edge and put the heels of his hands over his eyes.

_So fucking stupid._ He thought and lay there until he heard the shower turn off. _What the FUCK am I doing to do?_ Riddick heard the door open behind him and leapt up, resisting the urge to drop his jaw. Her hair was slicked back, her skin was still flushed from the heat of the water and she was in a towel. He was jerked out of his daze when there was action in his pants.

"I'll leave you to get dressed." He said and left the room quickly.

When he was gone, Anna shrugged and got dressed in a fresh flight jumpsuit.

_I don't understand him._ She thought and dried her hair, grabbing a brush out of her dresser and brushing her hair back. She left the room to find him in the pilots' chair, his goggles hanging off the arm. She leaned against the chair and he looked up at her.

"Hi." He said and looked back out.

"Hi." Anna said and sighed walking around the chair and sitting in his lap, her knees hooked over the arm. He looked at her in surprise.

"What are you doing?" Riddick asked.

"Baking a cake, what's it look like I'm doing? I'm sitting in your lap."

"Why though?"

"I don't know exactly. It just felt right." She said and he looked away. "What's up with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've been acting all squirrelly ever since I woke up."

"Squirrelly?"

"Just answer my question."

"What was it again?" Riddick asked avoiding it.

"Richard." Anna said sternly and he sighed.

"I don't know, it's just that I've realized that when we first got back together that I've been seeing you as a teenager. But just now, back in your room I mean, I saw you as a woman. And it scared me a little."

"Why would that scare you?"

"Because when you were a teen you were super cute, and now you're...you're..."

"I'm?"

"Beautiful, we've missed out on so much in each others lives, I missed you becoming a woman and I'm scared that I'm going to do something that will kill our friendship." Riddick said and she took his face in her hands.

"Richard, there is nothing that you could do that would ever make us not be friends. You could kill me and the last thought going through my head would be that you are my friend. I love you Richard, you know that right?"

"Yes, and I love you too, you were always there for me no matter what I did. But now, you are this beautiful woman that I just want to have and I'm just scared that I'm going to hurt you somehow." Riddick said looking away and she swerved her head so she could catch his eye again.

"You know what? I've been seeing you as this teenager too, I mean its only logical since that was how I last saw you, and you're right we have missed a lot of things in each others lives. I missed you becoming a man, a hot one at that. I mean back when we were fifteen you were skinny and had that scraggly brown hair."

(A/N: yes I know that if Vin Diesel grew his hair out he would have a fro, but if you've ever seen The Chronicles of Riddick, in the beginning Riddick has longish light brown hair, so that's where I got it from.)

"But now look at you. You're heads shaven." Anna said and ran a hand over his shaven head. "You're no longer skinny, aesthetically you're amazing. And combined with your twisted sense of humor and that personality of yours, you're perfect." She said but he shook his head.

"No I'm not, I've done things that I couldn't even tell you about and..." Riddick said but she silenced him by placing her fingers on his lips.

"You're perfect, even with all your faults." She said and removed her fingers, laying a hesitant kiss on his forehead.


	8. VIII

Chapter Eight

Anna walked up to her room to find Riddick lying on the bed, on his stomach with his shirt off. He turned his head so he could look at her.

"Hi." He said and she nodded at him.

"What's wrong with you?"

"I found your weight set."

"Oh."

"My back and shoulders hurt." He said.

"Um…okay? No."

"Please?"

"No. I'm not going to, you'll just have to suffer."

"Please?" he drew it out and stuck out his lower lip making her laugh.

"No. I'm not doing it." He continued to pout and widened his eyes in the classic Bambi look, he even added in a little sniffle. "No."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to." she said and continued to look at her that way, finally she sighed. "Fine!"

"Thank you." he said smiling and she went over to the bed and sat on his butt straddling his hips. She ran her hands up and down his back and he groaned she kneaded the tense muscles with her hands and he squirmed a little. Her hands went up to his shoulders and she massaged the sore muscles. She ran her hand down his back again on either side of his spine and she pushed her hands back up. A devilish smile came to her lips and she ran her fingertips, very lightly, down his back making him shiver. "That feels good." He said drawing out the last word.

"Glad you're enjoying it." She said leaning down so her mouth was right next to his ear and he jerked. "But that's it." she got off him and tried to leave but he grabbed her arm and while turning onto his back pulled her to him again. She landed on his chest and grabbing her waist he pulled her so she was laying on him completely. She sat up but he had arranged it that when she did she would be straddling him. She put her hands on his stomach and looked down at his grinning face.

"How interesting." Riddick whispered and she tried to get up but he put his hands on her waist, keeping her where she is. "So tell me something…Anna."

"Yes?"

"Why do you affect me so much?" he asked, she cocked her head to the side.

"Affect you in what way?" she asked and his grin widened.

"You know."

"No I don't Richard, so if I could please get up…" she said but he didn't release his hold on her. His hands slid up to her shoulders and he began to rub them, kneading the muscle between her neck and shoulder.

"Do you still have shoulder problems?" he asked and she nodded. He massaged her shoulders and she closed her eyes rolling her shoulders.

"That feels good." She said and his breath caught as her hands moved up his chest and back down again. He put his hands on her neck and she looked at him, he pulled her down and pressed his lips very cautiously into hers. At first she did nothing and just when he was going to pull away and apologize she kissed him back. He wrapped his arms around her and she pressed into him. Riddick started to unzip her flight jumpsuit and she put a hand on his making him look at her. "Allow me." She said and sat up on him again. She unzipped all the way and shrugged it off her shoulders taking her arms out of it.

"Beautiful." He whispered as he gazed at her, she laid back down on him and they kissed again while he pushed the jumpsuit over her butt running his hands over the lace of her underwear. Riddick just thought he would tease her a little like he used to, but never did he expect this to happen. He recalled the words she had said to him the other day, that he was perfect even with his faults. Her words echoing in his head he deepened the kiss and she stretched out along his body.


	9. IX

Chapter Nine

"We shouldn't have done that." Anna said as she lay with her head on his chest. Riddick was running his hand over her hair and down her back over and over again.

"But it felt good." He said and she looked up at him, he looked back.

"We still shouldn't have done it."

"So you're admitting that it felt good."

"It felt wonderful, but wonderful is subjective."

"Explain."

"When a morphine addict gets a spike, I bet you anything it feels wonderful but its still bad."

"Don't compare what we did, to that." Riddick said and she placed her head back on his chest.

"I'm not even going to be able to face Jacobs after this."

"So end it with him."

"But he's so sweet and he loves me."

"But you don't love him."

"No I don't."

"Anna look at me." Riddick said and she did. "Jacobs is a civilian, you need someone who will be able to take care of themselves in times of crisis. When push comes to shove, could you count on him to save your life?"

"Truth is, he'll be dead at push."

"Exactly. It's only going end bad if you stay with him."

"You're right, you're always right. I've got to leave him." she said and put her head back on his chest.

"That's my girl, always seeing the smart choice, even if it takes a little bit." He said and her heart lurched when he said 'my girl'. Anna took her arms from around him and sat up.

"Where's my underwear and flight jumpsuit?" she asked and began searching for them.

"Hey, what's wrong? You were fine a second ago."

"There's just something I have to do that's all, something that's just come to my attention." She said and found them on the floor under the bed. She put her underwear on and stood so she could slip on the flight jumpsuit. Riddick sat up and began to look for his boxers and sweatpants as she left the room. In normal circumstances he would have just gone after her completely naked but it was cold in the ship, so that was out of the question. He finally found them and put them on grabbing his old sweater out of his bag and pulling that on too along with his goggles.

He found her in the pilots' chair, plotting a course. He leaned against the chair, with his arm around the headrest. She looked up at him and her eyes flicked to the shoulder that was exposed by the worn out collar. Her mind flashed back to when she had run her lips over that shoulder and stroked it while he worshipped her body. She looked back out and continued to put in coordinates.

"Where are we going?" Riddick asked but she didn't look at him.

"We are going to Helion 5, where I am dropping you off. I am then going to tell HQ that I wasn't able to find you no matter how hard I looked and no matter what I did. I'm going to admit defeat. You will stay on Helion 5, find a nice girl settle down and have lots of little babies. I will go back to Terra Prime and spend the rest of my days with Jacobs; we will get married and have kids. Do you understand me?" she was in mercenary mode now, pretty much if you didn't listen to her and do what she said she will put a gun to your head and pull the trigger. But he's encountered mercs before and this tone of voice didn't faze him.

"No I don't understand you." Riddick said. "I'm not going anywhere."

"This is nonnegotiable Riddick. I am dropping you off and that's that."

"Riddick? What happened to Richard?" he asked smiling slightly and she looked at him but didn't say anything. She looked back out and finished putting in the coordinates. When she was done she stood and he straightened, blocking her path.

"Move, now." she said in her most threatening tone of voice. He didn't move but whipped off his shades holding them in his fist pressed against the wall. "Riddick…"

"Do you want me to leave Anna."

"No."

"Then why…"

"I need you to leave, now get out of my way." Anna said but he didn't, he just stepped closer, looking down at her with a murderous look in his eyes. Usually that look made people flinch or cower away but she just looked right back. Riddick was furious, how dare she tell him to leave, now that he's found her again.

"I. Am. Not. Going. Anywhere." He said slowly and she glared at him.

"Yes you are." She said and tried to push past him but he wouldn't budge. She pushed against his chest but he didn't even stagger. "Get the fuck out of my way Richard." He kissed her abruptly and she pushed him away. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" she asked and he kissed her again. This time she didn't push him away, she just gave in and kissed him back.

They were back in her room, he was lying on top of her, kissing her neck and shoulders finally pressing his lips to hers.

"We made the same mistake twice." She said breaking the kiss and he looked at her, a slight grin on his face. "Okay three times." He perked his eyebrow, the grin widening. "Okay, okay! Four times, geez you don't need to rub it in."

"I believe I did that the third time around." He said kissing her neck and he felt it warming, telling him that she was blushing. He laughed and she slapped his shoulder lightly. He caught her wrist on the retreat and grabbed her other one. Holding them in one hand he stretched her arms above her head and held her captive.

"Now what exactly was the point of this?" Anna asked and Riddick shrugged.

"I don't know, I like being in control I guess."

"You'll never be in control of me Richard Bradley Riddick." She said smiling and he groaned.

"You actually remembered my middle name?"

"You can bet your sweet ass on it Brad." She said and he smiled kissing her lightly on the nose. She gently and slowly pulled her wrists out of his grasp and touched his hips, the bones jutting out sharply. "But you know what?" she asked smiling sweetly at him.

"Yes?" he asked, his head descending for a kiss.

"We're still going to Helion 5." She said and shimmied out from under him running for the door. His whole upper body turning he watched her run out and he spread his arm, his other arm holding him up.

"Oh come on!" he exclaimed and jumped out of bed, chasing after her. He found her in the bathroom about to get in the shower, he snatched her up in his arms and she laughed.

"Come on Richard, let me get in the shower, I'm cold." Anna said and he nodded.

"Okay." Riddick said and stepped into the shower with her still in his arms. He closed the shower door and watched her as she wet down; he put a palm-sized amount of her shampoo in his hand and massaged it into her hair, making sure he got all of it. When he was done he put his hands in the spray to rinse them off and she turned facing him and rinsed her hair with her head back and eyes closed. He ran his fingers through her hair and gently wiped the water from her eyes and she looked at him. She wrapped her arms around him and they turned on the spot so he was under the spray. She soaped up the loofah puff and started to wash his body, moving the puff in slow small circles on his chest and abs and downward. Riddick turned and she washed his back, seeing faint scars, pale lines on his tan skin. They were on his back and shoulders and she could see one creasing his earlobe. He turned around and she tossed the puff behind her to be rinsed out later.

She took down the nozzle and ran the spray over his chest, the soap running off of him and down the drain. She then noticed a thick scar on his right leg, several lesser scars branching off from it as if something had bit him, something with big teeth, big sharp teeth. She touched the scar and looked up at him in question.

"It's a long story." Riddick said. "I'll tell you later." Anna nodded and he touched her cheek lightly, almost lovingly. They kissed gently then harder and the nozzle fell from her hand, clattering against the porcelain sides of the tub as she wrapped her arms around his neck.


	10. X

Chapter Ten

"Richard?"

"Yes Anna?"

"I just wanted to tell you that we won't be going to Helion 5." Anna said and opened her eyes seeing Riddick smiling at her. "We'll be going to Terra Prime."

"Isn't that where Jacobs is?" Riddick asked and she nodded, wincing slightly at the mention of his name.

"Yes."

"What are you going to do when we get there?"

"Break up with him. I mean we already discussed that I need to, that's not a problem anymore. But after that conversation you said that I was your girl."

"Did I?"

"Yes you did and it scared the shit out of me."

"Why?"

"I don't know that's just it. Wish I did though."

"Yeah so do I." Riddick said and she closed her eyes again, snuggling into his chest and wrapping an arm around his waist, feeling his body heat radiate into her own body, warming her. Riddick listened as she fell asleep and laid his cheek on the top of her head, stroking her back and thinking. His hand lingered on the swell of her hip and she put her face into his neck, her lips brushing against it slightly making him smile gently.

As he held her two things were revealed to him, one he loved her, really loved her, and two went along with one, how the hell was he going to tell her? He couldn't just come out and tell her, ever since they were teens she's been uncomfortable with 'deep' emotions and love definitely qualifies as a 'deep' emotion. So coming right out and telling her would make her withdraw from him. She made a small noise in her sleep and he looked at her peaceful sleeping face. Riddick laid his cheek on the top of her head again and closed his eyes, thoughts of how he was going to tell her that he loved her chasing him down into sleep.

Anna woke up the next 'morning' feeling absolutely amazing. But then she noticed that Riddick wasn't in bed with her. She looked around the room and her eyes settled on her nightstand where she saw a bagel and a cup of still steaming coffee. She grabbed the bagel and took a swallow of the coffee giving out an appreciative sigh; she tore a piece off the bagel and ate it. Riddick came into the room holding his own mug of coffee. She smiled at him.

"Thank you." she said and he smiled back going over to her so they could kiss quickly.

"No problem. Your lips taste like cream cheese."

"Gee I wonder why?" Anna said sarcastically and he snorted. "Richard?"

"Yes?" Riddick replied.

"What's up?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're acting kinda strange, and there's this faraway look in your eyes, I think I can't really tell with the shine. So…what's up?"

"Its nothing, I'm just thinking."

"About?"

"Nothing."

"You're thinking about nothing?"

"Yup, I'm good like that." He said and it was her turn to snort.

"You're strange."

"I know, and it's fun."

"It's fun that you're strange, or it's fun that you know that you're strange?" Anna asked and he looked at her like 'huh?' "Never mind, I haven't had enough coffee yet." She said and took a sip to prove her point.

"Then drink up, eat the rest of your bagel and get down to the cockpit."

"Why?"

"So you can change the coordinates. We're not going to Helion 5 after all remember?"

"Why can't you change them, I mean I know you know how to."

"I tried that while you were still asleep, but you have the commands locked with a system password."

"Oh that's right, I just put it in I don't even notice that I do anymore." Anna said and he nodded.

"That's right so get going." He said and she took a long swallow of her coffee. She set the mug and the bagel down on her nightstand and stood, finding her underwear and jumpsuit and slipping them on. She zipped up the jumpsuit and grabbed her mug and bagel heading down to the cockpit, aware of Riddick following. She sat down in the pilots' chair and he took the mug and bagel from her after popping a piece in her mouth. She put in the password and the main control menu came up. The coordinates were still set for Helion 5 so she changed them to just go to Terra Prime.

"Okay all set for Terra Prime. Estimated time of Arrival, 3 days 15 hours and 6 minutes." Anna said locking the coordinates with a flourish.

"Okay then. So what are we going to do for 3 days 15 hours and 6 minutes?" Riddick asked and she looked at him, he perked an eyebrow at her grinning at her. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Is that all you think about?" Anna asked and he shrugged, his face serious.

"Yeah pretty much." He said and smiled making her chuckle.

"Well maybe later. I'm still trying to form a conversation in my head between me and Jacobs." she said and the sexual mood in him died at the mention of her boyfriend back on Terra Prime, the planet that they were heading to.

"The big break up talk?"

"Yup, I'm still trying to come up with a way of telling him that I slept with you, um several times and that I can't see him anymore because I want to be with you."

"Don't tell him that we slept together."

"He'll want a reason why I want to split up."

"So let him form his own answers. Or hell, don't even try to plan it just let things go the way they want to go."

"Well then I have no control over the situation."

"Life ain't that fair to let you have control all the time." Riddick said and kissed the top of her head before going up to the bathroom.


	11. XI

Chapter Eleven

For a very long time Anna thought about what Riddick had said about control. It only made sense to trust him; he's been right about so much. And even though he has changed since she last knew him, he's still the same Riddick from yesterday that she'll wind up with tomorrow. At last she got up going to her room. She heard him in there so she went into the bathroom to take a shower, picking up the damp towel that he left on the floor and turning on the overhead fan to draw out all the steam and excess heat. She started the shower and disrobed, climbing in. After washing her hair, body and face she got out and dried off putting the jumpsuit back on.

When she got to her room Riddick was sitting on the bed, his back against the headboard, reading one of her books. She laid down on the bed with her back to him and she felt his eyes on her back. The weight shifted as he lay down and he put an arm around her waist. She could feel him run his thumb back and forth over her stomach, she turned and looked at him, locking eyes with him. She touched his face gently and his lips twitched in what could be considered a gentle smile.

For the first time ever, Riddick was speechless, astounded by the beautiful woman lying in front of him. He ran his thumb over her bottom lip and she smiled. He drew her closer and held her, her face in his neck and her breath warm on his skin.

"Richard?" she asked suddenly.

"Yes Anna?" Riddick said and there was a long silence.

"Never mind." She said and he felt her close her eyes, her long eyelashes brushing against his skin. He ran his hand over her damp hair until he heard her fall asleep, her breathing pattern changing becoming deep and slow. He pushed her away slightly and looked at her, flicking a piece of her really short blood red hair away from her face.

"I love you." He said but she didn't do anything, he doubted she even heard him.

The next morning when Anna woke up she felt amazing completely revitalized. Riddick was sleeping soundly next to her, so that made it even better. She looked at him, tracing the contours of his face with her eyes, memorizing every centimeter of his features. She traced the curve of his jaw lightly with her fingertips and gently kissed his top lip. He still didn't wake; he must be really under. She got out of bed and went into the bathroom to take her morning shower. When she got back to the room he was still asleep, his eyelids fluttering as he dreamed. Sitting on the bed she got her laptop and booted it up, starting to write.

Riddick woke to the sound of softly clicking keys. He rubbed his eyes and opened them, yawning like a big cat. She looked at him and smiled.

"Hi!" she said brightly and he flinched. No one should be that chipper in the morning.

"Hi, writing again I see."

"Yup. What were you dreaming about?"

"Huh?"

"You were dreaming. What was it about?"

"I don't remember." Riddick said.

"Ah." She said nodding. In actuality, he did remember he just didn't want to share it. It was just too personal even for her to know. Looking around he found the book he was reading and opened to his page. He felt her tilt up the cover. "Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison. It's a good book. What part are you at?"

"Rachel turned herself into a mink and got captured by Trent Kalamack."

"The evil Trent Kalamack with the nice behind."

"What?"

"Keep reading." Anna said with a smirk and after a little while he came across what she was talking about.

"Oh." he said and she snorted. "You have the oddest taste in books."

"Don't I?" she asked rhetorically and he gave her a sideways glance, so when she looked over all she caught was a glint of silver and he looked back at the page starting to read again. Anna started to write once more and by the time imagination and memories of the past couple of days ran out she had a dozen pages so she saved it and closed it down, shutting her laptop off and setting it under her bed again. Riddick shut the book and set it aside, he took her hand in his own and she looked at him. He brought it to his lips and gently kissed the back of her hand before letting go of it and getting off the bed and going into the bathroom, taking clothes with him.

Wondering what that has all about, Anna stayed on the bed for a little while before getting up and stripping it, stuffing the sheets, blankets and pillow cases down the laundry chute. She pulled fresh ones out of the footlocker at the foot of the bed and put them on the bed, smoothing the comforter out and tucking in the corners of the sheets. Riddick came in, water beaded on his skin from his shower, and watched as she smoothed the pillowcases. Grinning slightly he went to her and put his arms around her waist from behind and she smiled.

"Do you trust me Anna?" Riddick asked.

"Yes." She said and Riddick stiffened, his voice becoming cold.

"You shouldn't." he said and she felt a sharp pain in her back and something warm flow down the backs of her legs. She then felt herself falling to the floor. "Fourth lumbar down, the abdominal aorta." Riddick said as he slid the knife out of her back, letting her fall to the floor. He crouched down and looked at her. "Stupid merc, letting your guard down." He said and wagged a finger at her.

"Richard." She gasped and he continued to look at her. "I love you." She said and he laughed.

"Okay? Is that supposed to mean something to me?" The ship shuddered as it docked into the station. "That's my cue to exit." He said and stood. "Well merc, it's been fun, you were definitely a good lay." He said and started to walk for the door. "Oh and Anna, it was nice seeing you again." Tears started to leak out of the corners of her eyes.

_Why?_ She thought, she heard him leave the ship as she continued to bleed out onto the floor of their bedroom.

Riddick walked off the ship in high spirits, one less merc. His conscience was yelling at him, mostly because he just killed his only true friend and the woman he loved. But he told the voice to cram it, she was a merc. He was glad that he had changed the coordinates to the nearest station while she had been sleeping, and that while he was in the bathroom with the shower running for cover noise he had been sharpening his blade and preparing himself for the inevitable moment to come. Another merc dead, life was good.

The space station guard watched as Richard B. Riddick, escaped convict, notorious murderer and infamous merc killer walked off a ship with a light smile on his face. There was spots of blood on his green cargos. When he was out of sight the guard called the station and gave him Riddick's whereabouts. He went to the ship and overrode the lock on the ramp. He entered the ship with his gun drawn, following boot prints on blood up to a door, he pushed it open and his eyes went wide.

"HOLY FUCK!" he yelled as he saw the woman in pajamas lying on the bedroom floor, the pool of blood under her steadily getting larger. But she was still breathing. He brought his communicator to his mouth and hit the emergency button. "I need immediate medical backup, my location is docking bay 6, position 8. I have one Caucasian female, approximately 35 years of age with a stab wound to the back. She's losing a lot of blood."

"Richard…why?" The woman rasped.

"I need medical assistance now!" he yelled and knelt by the woman, cringing at the feel of warm blood seeping into his uniform pants and his knees. "Ma'am can you hear me?"

"Richard." She rasped again.

"Where the fuck are you guys!" he yelled into his comm. He heard the medical team enter the ship. "In the bedroom!" he yelled into his comm, these ships were all laid out the same way. The med team entered the room and he heard gasps of horror as they saw the woman.

"Who the hell would do this?" one of them asked.

"I saw Riddick himself leaving this ship." The guard said.

"Richard." The woman rasped. "I love you."

"Poor girl, fell in love with the wrong man." a member of the med team said and quickly went to work.

Anna felt herself get picked up by unknown hands, her blood soaked clothes making a sick sucking sound as they were peeled off the floor.

"Single thrust to the abdominal aorta. Just nicked it, thank god, if that bastard had punctured it she would be dead right now." Someone said and she was laid down on something soft. "Lets get her to the med bay, now!" they said and she was carried off, darkness consumed her leaving her with one remaining thought.

_Why?_


End file.
